Squeeze-type pump

ABSTRACT

A squeeze-type pump includes a base, a nozzle, a sac, a check valve and two coves. The base, the nozzle and the sac are made in one piece. The check valve is located between the sac to allow air to go to the nozzle from the sac, but not vice versa. The covers are connected to the base.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to a pump and, more particularly, to a squeeze-type pump.

RELATED PRIOR ART

There are various inflatable products such as inflatable toys, swinging rings, inflatable pillows, inflatable matrixes, inflatable seats and inflatable cushions. It is exhausting for a user to blow air into such inflatable product from his or her mouth, and there are hygiene issues about this operation. An electric pump can be used to pump air into such inflatable product. However, it is inconvenient to carry the electric pump, which is bulky and heavy, and it could be difficult to find electricity needed to actuate the electric pump.

A squeeze-type pump can be used to inflate such inflatable product without the foregoing problem

The present invention is therefore intended to obviate or at least alleviate the problems encountered in prior art.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

It is the primary objective of the present invention to provide a squeeze-type pump.

To achieve the foregoing objective, the squeeze-type pump includes a base, a nozzle, a sac, a check valve and two covers. The base, the nozzle and the sac are made in one piece. The check valve is located between the sac to allow air to go to the nozzle from the sac, but not vice versa. The covers are connected to the base.

In an aspect, the base includes two openings and two cavities made in a bottom. The nozzle includes a space in communication with the second cavity through the second opening. The sac includes a space in communication with the first cavity through the first opening. The check valve is inserted in the second cavity and formed with a channel that includes an entrance in communication with the first cavity and an exit in communication with the space of the nozzle. The first cover includes two auxiliary cavities in a first face in contact with the bottom, a sleeve on a second face, and an aperture via which the sleeve is in communication with the second auxiliary cavity. The first auxiliary cavity is combined with the first cavity and connected to the space of the sac. The second auxiliary cavity is aligned with the second auxiliary cavity and the nozzle. A tube includes an end inserted in the sleeve and another end to be inserted in an inflatable object. A one-way entrance filter only admits air into the space of the sac. The second cover is in contact with the first cover and includes a first window aligned with the one-way entrance filter and a second window aligned with the sleeve. The sac and the first cover are made of an elastic material. The second cover is made of a thermoplastic material.

Other objectives, advantages and features of the present invention will be apparent from the following description referring to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The present invention will be described via detailed illustration of the preferred embodiment referring to the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view a squeeze-type pump according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial view of the squeeze-type pump in FIG. 1 in an inverted position;

FIG. 3 is a partial view of the squeeze-type pump in another position than shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is another partial view of the squeeze-type pump in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is another partial view of the squeeze-type pump in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is another perspective view of the squeeze-type pump in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a check valve of the squeeze-type pump in FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a cut-away view of the squeeze-type pump in FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of the squeeze-type pump in FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the check valve of the squeeze-type inflation in FIG. 6; and

FIG. 11 is an exploded view of the squeeze-type pump in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5, a squeeze-type pump 10 includes a base 11, a sac 16 and a nozzle 17, a check valve 20 and a cover set 30 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The base 11, the sac 16 and the nozzle 17 are made in one piece (the “body”). The base 11 is a flat element that includes a bottom 112, a skirt 111 and three cavities 13, 14 and 15. The skirt 111 extends from and around the bottom 112. The cavities 13, 14 and 15 are made in the bottom 112. The cavity 13 is deeper than the cavity 14. The cavity 15 is also deeper than the cavity 14. The cavity 14 includes a boundary 141. The cavity 15 is located in the cavity 14.

The sac 16 is formed on the base 11. The sac 16 includes a space 161. The space 161 includes an opening 113. The space 161 is in communication with the cavity 13 through the opening 113. The space 161 is in communication with a space defined in the skirt 111 through the opening 113.

The nozzle 17 is formed on the base 11. The nozzle 17 includes a space 171. The space 171 includes an opening 114 via which the space 171 is in communication with the space defined in the skirt 111.

Referring to FIG. 7, the check valve 20 is a flat element. The check valve 20 includes an entrance 21, an exit 22 and a channel 23. The entrance 21 is in communication with the exit 22 via the channel 23. The entrance 21 is wider than the exit 22. Preferably, the channel 23 is a stepped channel that includes a wide section near the entrance 21 and a narrow section near exit 22. There are shoulders between the wide and narrow sections of the channel 23.

The check valve 20 is inserted in the cavity 14. The check valve 20 includes an edge placed against the boundary 141 so that the check valve 20 is precisely positioned by the boundary 141. The check valve 20 is attached to the bottom 112 of the base 11 by high frequency for example. The entrance 21 is in communication with the cavity 13. The exit 22 is in communication with the space 171 via the second opening 114.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the cover set 30 includes a cover 40 and a cover 50. The cover 40 further includes an upper face 411, a lower face 412, auxiliary cavities 43 and 44, an aperture 45, a sleeve 46 and two blocks 48. The auxiliary cavities 43 and 43 are made in the upper face 411. The auxiliary cavity 43 is shaped corresponding to the cavity 13. The sleeve 46 is in communication with the auxiliary cavity 44 via the aperture 45. The blocks 48 are formed on the lower face 412. One of the blocks 48 extends around the sleeve 46. The blocks 48 are separated from each other by a gap 49.

A one-way entrance filter 42 is fitted in another aperture (not numbered) made in the cover 40. The cover 40 is inserted in the space defined by the skirt bottom 111 so that the skirt 111 extends around the cover 40. The one-way entrance filter 42 is inserted in the space 161 of the sac 16. The one-way entrance filter 42 admits air into the space 161 but does not allow air to leave the space 161. The auxiliary cavity 43 is combined with the cavity 13 and then in communication with the space 161. The auxiliary cavity 44 contains a lower portion of the check valve 20. The auxiliary cavity 44 is communication with the cavity 14 and the space 171. The auxiliary cavity 44 and the cavity 15 together allow the check valve 20 to expand to increase rate of air goes through the check valve 20.

A tube 47 includes a first end fitted in the sleeve 46 and a second end located out of the sleeve 46. In operation, the second end of the tube 47 can be inserted in a valve of an inflatable object.

The cover 50 includes a recess 52, a rib 53 and two windows 54 and 55. The recess 52 is made in an upper face of the cover 50. The rib 53 is formed on the upper face of the cover 50, in the recess 52. The windows 54 and 55 are in communication with the recess 52.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the cover 50 is also inserted in the space defined by the skirt 111 so that the skirt 111 extends around the cover 50. The cover 50 is placed against the cover 40. The recess 52 receives the blocks 48 and the rib 53 is inserted in the gap 49. The window 54 is in aligned with the one-way entrance filter 42. The sleeve 46 extends through the window 55.

The cover 40 and the body, which includes the base 11, the sac 16 and the nozzle 17, are made of an elastic material. The cover 50 is made of a thermoplastic material. The elastic material allows and the cover 40 and the body elastic to be elastically deformation. The thermoplastic material causes the cover 50 to retain its shape under a proper range of stress. The base 11 and the covers 40 and 50 are joined together by high frequency.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, in the operation of the squeeze-type pump, the sac 16 is pushed to pump air into the inflatable object from the space 161 via an inflation channel. The inflation channel includes the combination of the cavity 13 with the auxiliary cavity 43, the check valve 20 s (the entrance 21, the channel 23 and the exit 22), the combination of the space 171 with the auxiliary cavity 44, the aperture 45, the sleeve 46, and the tube 47.

Then, the sac 16 is released so that the sac 16 returns to its original shape because of its elasticity. Thus, air is admitted into the space 161 via the one-way entrance filter 42.

To use the squeeze-type pump, a user contacts the cover 50 with a finger and contacts the sac 16 with another finger and compresses the sac 16. The squeeze on the squeeze-type pump does not interfere with the travel of the air through the inflation channel the portions of the squeeze-type pump along the inflation channel are not deformed. The deformation of sac 16 does not affect the portions of the squeeze-type pump along the inflation channel because inflation channel is connected to the space 161 of the sac 16 in a lateral manner. The cover 50 is made of the thermoplastic material and not deformed at all so that it does not affect the portions of the squeeze-type pump along the inflation channel.

Referring to FIG. 10, when the nozzle 17 is idle, a spring 176 pushes a valve 174 to cause a spherical end 175 of the valve 174 that is movable in the space 172 to block the vent 173. Thus, air cannot goes out from the combination of the space 171 with the second auxiliary cavity 44 through the space 172 and the vent 173. When the valve 174 is pressed, the vent 173 is released from the spherical end 175 of the valve 174 to allow air to go into the combination of the space 171 with the auxiliary cavity 44 from the inflatable object via the tube 47 and the sleeve 46 and then go out of the combination of the space 171 with the auxiliary cavity 44 through the space 172 and the vent 173, past the valve 174. Thus, the inflatable object is flatted. When the valve 174 is pressed, the spherical end 175 blocks the exit 22 of the check valve 20 so that air cannot goes out of the inflatable object through the check valve 20.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 11, a contact element 162 that is made of a thermoplastic material is provided on the sac 16. A ratio of a largest diameter of the contact element 162 over a largest diameter of the sac 16 is 1:3 to 2:3. The area of contact of the contact element 162 with the sac 16 is larger than an area of contact of the user's finger with the sac 16. Hence, the compression of the sac 16 by using the user's finger to press the sac 16 via the contact element 162 is larger than the compression of the sac 16 by using the user's finger to directly press the sac 16. Accordingly, inflation proceeds at an increased rate.

The present invention has been described via the illustration of the preferred embodiment. Those skilled in the art can derive variations from the preferred embodiment without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the preferred embodiment shall not limit the scope of the present invention defined in the claims. 

1. A squeeze-type pump comprising: a base (11) comprising a bottom (112), a first opening (113) in the bottom (112), a second opening (114) in the bottom (112), a first cavity (13) in the bottom (112), a second cavity (14) in the bottom (112), and a third cavity (15) in the bottom (112); a nozzle (17) formed on the base (11) and formed with space (171) in communication with the second cavity (14) through the second opening (114); a sac (16) formed on the base (11) and formed with a space (161) in communication with the first cavity (13) through the first opening (113); a check valve (20) inserted in the second cavity (14) and formed with a channel (23) that comprises an entrance (21) in communication with the first cavity (13) and an exit (22) in communication with the space (171) of the nozzle (17); a first cover (40) comprising: a first face (411) in contact with the bottom (112); a first auxiliary cavity (43) made in the first face (411) combined with the first cavity (13) and connected to the space (161) of the sac (16); a second auxiliary cavity (44) made in the first face (411) of the first cover (40) and aligned with the second auxiliary cavity (14) and the nozzle (17); a sleeve (46) formed on the second face (412) of the first cover (40); an aperture via which the sleeve (46) is in communication with the second auxiliary cavity (44); a tube (47) comprising an end inserted in the sleeve (46) and another end for insertion in an inflatable object; and a one-way entrance filter (42) for only admitting air into the space (161) of the sac (16); a second cover (50) in contact with the first cover and comprising a first window (54) aligned with the one-way entrance filter (42) and a second window (55) aligned with the sleeve (46); wherein the inflation unit (10) and the first cover (40) are made of an elastic material, wherein the second cover (50) is made of a thermoplastic material.
 2. The squeeze-type pump according to claim 1, wherein the base (11) comprises a skirt (111) extending from and around the bottom (112).
 3. The squeeze-type pump according to claim 1, wherein the bottom further comprises a third cavity (15) in a bed of the second cavity (14), wherein the third cavity (15) is combined with the second auxiliary cavity (44) to allow expansion of the check valve (20).
 4. The squeeze-type pump according to claim 1, wherein the entrance (21) is wider than the exit (22).
 5. The squeeze-type pump according to claim 4, wherein the channel (23) is a stepped channel.
 6. The squeeze-type pump according to claim 1, wherein the second cavity (14) comprises a boundary (141) for contact with an edge of the check valve (20) so that the second cavity (14) keeps the check valve (20) in position.
 7. The squeeze-type pump according to claim 1, wherein the first cover (40) further comprises two blocks (48) formed on the second face (412) and a gap (49) between the blocks (48), wherein the second cover (50) further comprises a recess (52) for containing the blocks (48) and a rib (53) inserted in the gap (49).
 8. The squeeze-type pump according to claim 1, further comprising a contact element (162) located on an upper end of the sac (16), wherein the contact element (162) is made of a thermoplastic material.
 9. The squeeze-type pump according to claim 8, wherein a ratio of a largest diameter of the contact element (162) over a largest diameter of the sac (16) is 1:3 to 2:3. 